


Fear, loathing, & panic

by KingsleyVonWoofers



Category: Knock-Knock (Video Game)
Genre: Civil Unrest, F/M, Insomnia, Slight horror, Weirdness, being chased by someone else's hallucinations, fleeing, guests (Knock-Knock), lodger has a name in this story, lodger is named zackery, reader is a runaway, reader is short
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-21
Updated: 2020-07-10
Packaged: 2021-03-04 11:42:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 3,745
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24849211
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KingsleyVonWoofers/pseuds/KingsleyVonWoofers
Summary: You, the reader, ran away from a town that was destroyed by the government's program. After running into the woods, you came across a lodge in the middle of a clearing. The man who resided there seemed a bit off, but took you in. You never expected what happened next.
Relationships: The Lodger (Knock-Knock)/Reader
Comments: 7
Kudos: 6





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Just be prepared for some weird stuff. If you're easily scared, you shouldn't read this.

You, a frightened & alone 20 year old lady, were currently running away from the town you used to live in. The program you were still mostly oblivious to had ruined your life. They killed your parents, who you tried to care of since they were in need of medical assistance, they killed your brother & sister, & they destroyed your house. You bolted for the woods before they could catch you, your speed exceeding theirs by a mile. Your adrenaline burned your ears, legs, & chest. Your body soon started to become numb with exhaustion, hunger, thirst, & it was getting hard to catch your breath. As if you found the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, you came across a lodge. It seemed abandoned, so it would be the perfect place for you to stay. However, when you tried to open the door, it was locked.

"Shoot, just my luck." you mumbled under your heavy breathing. You were about to walk away until you heard something coming from inside. Did someone live here? You gently knocked on the door when you thought you heard the sound of a light being turned on or off. You knocked a little harder after a few minutes, getting frustrated. You then thought of the possibility that this person might be deaf, then you mentally slapped yourself. You decided to try to leave until you turned around & saw someone in the distance. It was a girl with twigs in her hair & an old, slightly worn nightgown. She had the creepiest smile you'd ever seen in your life. You panicked & tried to open the door yourself.

"Go away!" called a voice. Whoever lived here wasn't deaf after all, but that made you more relieved than annoyed. You pounded on the door, crying out constant "let me in"s.

"I know you're not real!" the voice said again. Your confusion caused your pleas to falter for a second. You looked over your shoulder to see the girl was a little closer, that's when your adrenaline gave you the power to bang on the door loud enough to rival the sound of a gong.

"MY NAME IS (Y/N)! I ESCAPED THE GOVERNMENT! PLEASE, LET ME IN! I HAVE NO ONE TO GO HOME TO! THEY'RE ALL DEAD!" you screamed, tears streaming down your face. You only stopped when you heard the door being unlocked. A man opened the door slightly, looking at you. Your clothes were filthy from running through the damp forest, your face was stained with tear streaks, & your hands were red from banging on the door. Your breathing was frenzied & you looked mortified. The man opened the door further.

"You're an escapee?" he asked in a calmer voice. He was wearing a scarf, a nightgown, & long socks. His red hair was spiked in a stylized manner & he had very dark circles under his eyes. He seemed genuinely shocked at your arrival, but more interested than fearful. You slowly nodded as you heard thunder. He allowed you to come into his house, which was barricaded heavily. He led you to what looked like a bathroom & said he'd be right back with a towel. You saw many odd things on the shelves such as homemade medicines & natural soaps.

"Here, I'll be cleaning your clothes in a different room to give you some privacy. After you're done, just call out my name & I'll open the door enough for me to set your clothes in." he said.

"What's your name?" you asked as you turned on the water.

"Zackery."

5 minutes later~

After getting out & wrapping the towel around your sensitive body, you almost yelled out his name. Like he said, he slightly opened the door & put your clothes on the floor. You thanked him, got dressed, & met him in the kitchen. He had made you some toast with blueberry jam & water to drink. As you sat down at the table, you told him more about how you ran away without them catching up to you. He seemed genuinely worried about your family & your own safety. You thought that was very sweet of him.

"Tell me more about yourself, Zackery." you said as you started eating your second slice of toast. He told the story of how he & many others went into hiding after they heard about the program. He was a worldologist & he inherited this house from his father. He was getting to the topic of his family before he suddenly went silent & tried his best to not cry. After realizing that he, just like you, no longer had a family, you walked over to his side of the table & hugged him.

"Thank you." he whispered, desperately needing the hug you were giving him. After the tension died down, he looked you in the eyes.

"It's been years since I've seen another human being. Usually they keep me company, but I don't really like having them around." he said. This confused you to no end. You just simply asked who he was talking about, thinking he'd reply with "animals" or something like that.

"The guests." he said in an oddly gentle demeanor. You couldn't help the chills that slowly crept up your spine.


	2. Lurking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Who are the guests?

"The guests?" you asked, tension building in your gut. Zackery looked nervous, but decided to tell you about the guests anyway.

"The guests are beings my mind created so I wouldn't be all alone. However, I fear they may have become too strong. I can feel them in reality & see them in what little sleep I get. There are seeking guests, they're the dangerous ones. There are 3 unnamed seeking guests, the invisible one, floating candles, a gurney, & 2 versions of my own doppelgänger. The hiding guests randomly appear & don't really pose a threat, but they're still terrifying. There are shrub people, poyavlyashkas, tumbleweeds that can vary in size, piles of leaves with my face on it, large bags of twigs & sand, spiders with my face, & piles of rocks with my face."

You were speechless. How is he not in a mental hospital? He sounds seriously ill & he doesn't seem like he gets enough sleep. You were starting to get scared, but your pity is what made you stay.

"What about the girl in the woods?" you asked rather blatantly. Zackery stared at you for a minute before saying that he's never seen a girl in the forest before. You thought maybe the girl was lost or just a ghost.

You were about to ask Zackery if he needs help with his hallucinations until you heard the floor above you creak followed by a light thud. You tensed up, looking to Zackery for answers.

"What was that?" you nearly shouted. Zackery's face turned into an expression of pure horror when he looked at you.

"The guests heard us." he said. You were beginning to panic, hoping this was all just a hoax.

"C-come on, don't mess with me." You said as you tried to swallow your fear. You heard more thumps from upstairs & were hoping that it was just a rat. However, all of your hopes were crushed when you heard a voice that sounded nearly demonic.

"Small, cramped, closed rooms."


	3. Safety & luck

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zackery finds out you'll be safe, but for how long?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I might not be able to work on this very much, I'm sick because of food poisoning. Sorry, this is a short chapter.

As fear shot through your veins like lightning, you felt a gentle hand on your shoulder. You turned around to see Zackery with a relieved expression. As if he could sense your confusion, he explained.

"The guests won't be able to touch you. You can only hear them, they're not strong enough to interact with anyone except me." he smiled. You felt so relieved that you hugged him, unaware of the crimson color your actions painted on his face.

After a few hours, it was getting dark outside. Zackery led you to the other bedroom, where a gurney was. You both said goodnight & he left the room to go to his own bed. You felt so happy now that you were safe.

When you started dreaming, you were very shocked to see some of the guests that Zackery had described. They all seemed angry at you for some reason.

"Replaced!" they kept screaming. You tried to run, but their voices chased you. All around you were multiple doors that led to more doors. Trapped, you started crying out.

"(Y/n)!" you woke up to Zackery's voice. You told him all about the dream & started crying. He held you close, trying his best to calm you down. He slept next to you the rest of the night, resting his head close to yours.

"I'm sorry." he whispered right before you fell asleep again.


	4. Fever dreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You develop feelings for Zackery, but does he feel the same? How would the guests react?

By the time you'd lived with Zackery for 4 days, you'd become very close. In fact, you tried to keep it a secret that you had a little crush on him. His spiked yet silky hair, his gentleness, his voice, the odd scent he carried, everything. You loved everything about him, but you were way too scared to even drop a hint, let alone flirt. As you waited patiently for Zackery to come to the kitchen, you pondered if you should even compliment how he looks. You didn't wanna give it away that you loved him. Your thoughts were broken by Zackery finally entering the kitchen.

"Oh, you made breakfast? Thank you, but you didn't really have to." he smiled that sweet smile you loved so much. You only smiled back as your eyes followed him to his seat at the table. For the first couple of seconds of breakfast, it was silent. You realized you weren't getting anywhere & sighed.

"I have something I really wanna tell you, Zackery, but I'm scared to." you said in a low voice. He reassured you & said that it was ok. That he wouldn't judge you. You took a deep breath & decided to spill.

"Zackery, I've only known you for 4 days, but I think you're amazing. Your crimson hair seems rugged, but is actually the softest thing I've ever felt. Your eyes, though tired, always shine brightly, even in the dark. The gentleness you show towards me is phenomenal, I really appreciate it. The scent you harbor, a combination of pine needle, red raspberries, classic candle wax, & fresh spring water. You're such an amazing person, I love you." you hid your face so he wouldn't see your embarrassment. You felt your hands being pulled away from your face & saw Zackery's beautiful eyes staring back at you.

"Oh, (y/n), I've never been so emotionally moved by someone's words. Also, I love you too. That was amazing." he said before leaning in to kiss you. His soft lips pressed against yours, captivating you. You kissed back almost instantly. You couldn't believe this was happening. You were so happy for the first time in a while until you heard a loud crash upstairs. You both looked in the direction the sound came from, frozen in fear.

"IS THIS ANY WAY TO TREAT YOUR GUESTS?!" a voice screamed. You held onto Zackery as you started trembling. Though he kept comforting you, everything went in vein when a ghostly arm came through the ceiling. You screamed & Zackery became mortified as he realized that the guests have become sentient.

You both were in big trouble now.


	5. Run!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How will you escape when the guests become sentient?

You cowered in the corner, clinging onto Zackery. The sudden sound of scratching came towards you before the door was broken down. A distorted creature with 2 sets of arms & legs on top sulked towards you as its bent body made fear & disgust shoot through your veins. In a fit of fear, you threw a chair at it, knocking it down. You grabbed Zackery's wrist & bolted for the doorway before it could get back up. Letting Zackery take the lead, you both ran through the house as he decided to lead you to the boiler room where he pulled you behind the big, orange boiler at the end of the room. He tried his best to calm you down as you hid from the approaching horrors. As the sounds of chains rattling, scratching, wet footsteps, & squeaking sounded around the floors above you. Tears of fear threatened to break loose of their fleshy prisons as Zackery whispered reassuring words to you.

"(Y/n), it's ok. This is the best hiding spot in the whole house. They can't see us at all, they can't even tell if we're in here." he said as he rested his chin on your head. Your whispers & soft crying stopped as footsteps came into the room. The unmistakable light of a candle illuminated a little bit of the room, but the illusion of it getting brighter was accompanied by footsteps, indicating that whoever was in the room with you was coming closer. The light soon came extremely close as the sound of a candle being set down was faintly hear as something came closer to behind the boiler.

"There you are! I figured you'd be here." the abnormally friendly voice belonged to Zackery's doppelgänger. You hesitated before he spoke again.

"It's ok, I'm the neutral doppelgänger, you can trust me. Listen, there's someone here who can help you get out & end this madness. She'll tell you about the girl in the woods." he said. You thought back to when you first came here. You had seen a girl in the woods.

"I think I know who your talking about. When I first came here, I saw a girl in the woods." you replied softly. The doppelgänger quizzed you on what she looked like before confirming that it was her.

"But there's a catch, the girl you need to find in the house will tell you the major key on how to find her." he said. He explained how the girl in this house is named Dashenka & in known as "the weeping one". You'd have to follow her cries until you find her crouching in a corner. He also suggested a diversion.

"The glow of my candle is invisible to the other guests, that's how they tell the doppelgängers from the real Zackery. We can switch candles. I usually don't do this, but they've gone too far this time." he smiled as he handed his candle over to Zackery in order to receive the real candle. He bolted out of the room to create a diversion. Now all that's left to do is find Dashenka.


	6. The weeping one

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You find Dashenka, but the information she gives has a time limit.

While sulking in the darkest shadows, you & Zackery soon heard crying. Following the sound, you ended up in a room with someone hunched over in the corner. That must be her.

"Are you Dashenka?" you asked quietly. She turned her head & revealed a horrifying face. She looked like she was mauled by something. She nodded in response to your question.

"The neutral doppelgänger told us that you know how to find the girl in the forest." Zackery said. Dashenka turned her whole body around to address you both.

"To find the girl in the forest, you must follow the sound of her singing. If you wish to save yourself from this madness, you must see at least 6 fragments of reality. Act quickly, she disappears at dawn. Take these 3 notes, they'll increase the power of reality." Dashenka explained before mysteriously fading away.

"We have 3 hours until sunrise." Zackery said. Both of you tried to quickly get to the door, but came across the doppelgänger. Zackery asked if he wanted his candle back, but the response was something you didn't expect.

"Oh, I'm not your little twin friend. You're gonna pay for DOING THIS TO US!" his eyes turned completely white as the seeking guests came towards you in a riot. Zackery grabbed your wrist & bolted for the door.

On your way downstairs, you saw what looked like bundled up clothes with blood on them. You stepped closer to see that it was moving & there was an extinguished candle beside it. You ran towards it with tears forming in your eyes after you realized what it actually was. It was the neutral doppelgänger. You went to his side & held his hand as he looked up.

"H-hey, (y/n). Hey Zackery. I'm sorry I let you down. Don't worry, this version of me may be dying, but doppelgängers naturally clone themselves. I'm gonna be respawned into the world, but my memories of you won't. But, please, don't worry about me." he said, his voice strained.

Your tears fell as his eyes closed & you felt his hand go completely limp, turning cold as his life ended. Zackery stayed by your side as you continued to bawl your eyes out. Your mind felt numb as your tears blinded you. Zackery himself was crying at the loss of his kind twin. He stared on as the doppelgänger's body faded away into oblivion.

"(Y/n), let's get going. We've still got 3 hours, but we need to go." he said, drying his eyes. Both of you quickly made it outside, relieved that the seeking guests couldn't get out of the house. However, the hiding guests could. They were almost everywhere, using their newly sentient minds to quickly move from one hiding place to the next.

You felt trapped & started losing hope until you heard a sweet melody from deep within the forest.


	7. Chase

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When you find the girl in the woods, everything leads to a chase to find reality & a race against time.

As you followed the singing, the sound of cheerful birds came within earshot. Looking around, you spotted the girl you got scared of your first day here. Zackery walked towards her, & she disappeared. You thought all hope was lost until you noticed that Zackery's pupils shrank to very tiny dots as a look of wondrous fear splayed across his face. When his expression returned to normal, you asked him what he saw.

"I saw a fish, a donkey, & a vulture with my face." he explained. You were wanting to question it, but remembered that you were on a tight schedule. It took a few minutes before you found her again, but it was all worth it. After 50 minutes, Zackery had seen many things;

An endless house reaching up past the clouds  
Thorns moving back to reveal a type of broken mural with the clear night sky viewable behind it  
A house that was inside a twisted tree that looked like his head  
Another mural-looking object with Russian writing, but half of what was behind it was daytime while the other half was nighttime

"One left, Zackery." you said as you decided to run towards the singing. You were surprised when the girl was 5 feet diagonal to the door of the lodge. But, as Zackery walked forward, an unknown entity tried to pull him back. You looked behind you after it seemed to capture you too & saw a huge monster with a bunch of horns & sharp teeth. It was roaring at you as Zackery tried to walk forwards to the girl for the last fragment he needed to see before the sun rose. He struggled against his demonic restraints as you started crying while trying to get out of the creature's grasp.

Zackery had managed to tread further towards the girl, but she was still just out of reach. You saw the sky develop a twilight hue to its vast blanket of black. You knew dawn was about to arrive, & you realized this meant Zackery would suffer from his guests becoming sentient & violent. Tears burning your face, you turned around to see Zackery's hand was mere inches away from the girl. You couldn't hold back your panic & broke.

"PLEASE, YOU GOTTA DO SOMETHING! ZACKERY'S GONNA BE TRAPPED IN A LIVING HELL IF HE DOESN'T SEE 6 FRAGMENTS OF REALITY! THE GUESTS WILL PROBABLY KILL HIM!" you screamed. She, to your surprise, reached her hand forward & touched his hand. The vision surged through his brain with a force so powerful that even you could see it. It consisted of a fish that looked like a giant eye with the face of a human instead of an actual fish swimming in front of a maze of stairs & doors. The sun began to rise as the giant was disintegrated by reality & the girl faded into a bright light. Your vision went white for a few seconds before you could see again. You & Zackery were back inside the lodge. It didn't seem like anything was different, so you decided to look around. Then, you heard songbirds from outside. There weren't any songbirds within miles of the lodge. Zackery pried the planks off a window & looked out. "(Y/n), you need to see this!" he said. You walked up to the window & saw that the forest was flowing with life. It was dead, how did this happen? It didn't matter now, you were finally safe.


	8. An ending worth having

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Is it finally over?

You helped Zackery pry the rest of the boards down from all the windows as you reopened the lodge to the real world. When you were finished, the sunlight gave new color to everything in every room. Things were finally at peace, you didn't have to worry about anything anymore. Both of you were relaxing in the living room when Zackery tapped your shoulder.

"After everything we've been through, I'm so glad you came into my life. If it weren't for you, I would've been trapped with hallucinations controlling my view on life. I'm finally free of my guests." he smiled as he spoke.

"Yeah, but we'll never get to see the neutral doppelgänger again. He was the one who told us how to get out of this mess." you said. Zackery hugged you closely as he comforted you, his own memories of his doppelgänger sacrificing its life to help them flooding through his mind. Suddenly, Zackery kissed your cheek before facing you directly.

"We got through this together, companions came & went. But, overall, you're important to me. Will you marry me?" his silky voice was filled with enough affection that you felt your heart melt.

"YES!" you screamed in excitement. You couldn't contain your happiness as Zackery smiled, happy that you were happy.

1 year later~

You & Zackery haven't seen or heard any of the guests or companions that used to swarm your house & the surrounding forest. You ended up giving birth to twins, a boy & a girl. Zackery Jr. in memory of the neutral doppelgänger & Daskenka in memory of the one who gave you guidance for the forest. About a year after they were born, you had another daughter. She looked just like the girl from the forest. Naming her (insert name), you continued your happy life with Zackery & your 3 kids. You got your happy ending at last.

End~*


End file.
